Shi's Having a Baby
by Kuwabara Shizuru
Summary: Kuwabara gets the surprise of his life one day as he finds out his sister is having a baby. How will not only he, but everyone else, react to this news? Especially when they find out who the baby's father is? Pairings:Shizuru x Kurama, Kuwabara x Yukina, Yusuke x Keiko, and SLIGHT hints of Hiei x Botan in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

_Shi's Having a Baby_

A _Yu Yu Hakusho_ fanfic by Dustin Dixon  
  
**Disclaimer**:YYH does not belong to me. If it did, something akin to this would actually have happened. With that said, let's get on with this story.  
  
Bright lights flood the nighttime street as an oafish, orange-haired man walked down the sidewalk, contemplating the events that took place earlier that day.  
"WHAT?!"  
"You heard me. Kurama's going to move in."  
"But why?!"  
"Well, you have no idea how to take care of a baby, do you?"  
"Why are you asking that?! Wait........."  
"Uh...Kazuma? Your eye's twitching."  
".........YYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
"Could you please not yell?!"  
"...Okay, fine. Sure. Nerves of steel, Sis. So, you're pregnant..."  
"Yep. That's about the size of it."  
"And Kurama's moving in, WHY?"  
"Shouldn't the baby's father be taking care of it?"  
"So wait...you...and Kurama..."  
"...Yep."  
"...YYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
"Would you stop it already?! That's annoying."  
"Sorry, sorry, sorry. It's just...imagining you getting pregnant by one of my friends...that's really weird...so, you two gonna get married?"  
"I guess. We never really talked about marriage.""DON'T START THAT IDIOTIC SCREAM AGAIN."  
"Wasn't gonna do that."  
"I bet you weren't."  
"I'm gonna go for a walk. I need to think."  
Back to the present, a horrible, wretched thought crossed the young man's mind. Well, several thoughts, actually. Crying, screaming, dirty diapers...it was then that Kuwabara Kazuma did what he does best. Freak out.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"  
He charged full-on down the empty sidewalk, screaming at the top of his lungs.  
"WE ARE ALL GONNA **DIEEEEEEEE**!!!"  
As he charged down the street, his regular vision was replaced by his own "predictions" of the future. There stood a demon child, its fangs bared. Kuwabara was unsure of its gender, nor did he care. The thing was biting the crap out of him. His "prediction" then changed to his room, now decorated with evil, cutesy, non-cat stuff. His last thought was of Kurama in his Youko form, sitting at the kitchen table, sneering evilly at him. As he jolted back into reality, he found himself at a familiar house.  
"Whoa. How'd I end up at Urameshi's?!"  
The orange-haired man figured he might as well stop in and consult Keiko, or at least her idiot husband, Yusuke, his eternal rival. He knocked a couple of times, and for a few minutes, he was alone...he felt alone in the world. His sister had kept him in the dark about her delicate condition. He was seperated from his own significant other by miles and miles. And to top it off, the sound of thunder signified that he would soon be taking an involuntary shower. Or, so it would have appeared, as just then, the door was opened, and Keiko stood there,  
looking surprised, among...other...things.  
"GEEZ! Is every girl I know going to get knocked up without my knowledge?!"  
"Huh? oh. This?"  
Keiko simply pulls out a large bag of brownies.  
"I had a hold of these when I heard you knocking on the door. I didn't have time to put them down, so..."  
"Oh. Thank God. Last thing we need in this world's another Yusuke Urameshi!"  
"Speaking of Yusuke, he's upstairs."  
"Actually, Keiko...I need to talk to you."  
"Really? Well, okay. Oh, please come in!"  
Keiko guided Kuwabara to the living room sofa, upon him getting inside,  
and her closing the door.  
"Thanks Keiko."  
"So, what did you need to come see me about?"  
"I assume you haven't heard the news about my sister yet, otherwise you wouldn't be asking me that question."  
"What?! Something happened to Shizuru?!"  
"Yes! Something horrible! She's...PREGNANT!"  
"Kuwabara, that's wonderful! Why would you say that's horrible?"  
"Because of the fact that Kurama's its father!"  
"And that's bad...why? I've known for a while that those two were dating in secret. What's so bad about Kurama?"  
"Uhh..."  
The oafish man sat there and tried to think of even the tiniest thing to find wrong with Kurama, but.  
"Nah. I've got nothing."  
"You should be happy for your sister. She's finally found a worthwhile man, and she's gonna be a mother, and you're gonna be an uncle..."  
"That's just it, Keiko! I don't think I'm ready to be an uncle!"  
"Is anyone EVER ready for a baby to come into their lives? No. We just have to learn to adapt, that's all. It's perfectly natural for you to be edgy about someone extremely unexpected coming so suddenly into your life."  
"Wow. Why aren't you a psychologist?"  
"I enjoy being a wife. Being here for Yusuke is what gives me happiness."  
Suddenly, Kuwabara's watch was beeping.  
"Oh crap! It's eight o'clock already?! I gotta get home and feed Eikichi!"  
"Alright. I'm honored that you came to me for help."  
"Look, thanks for your help, Keiko. I really appreciate it."  
"Any time. Oh, and you were right in your original assumption as well."  
The orange-haired spirit detective looked at her quizzically for a few seconds. Keiko then put on a little smile.  
"Seven more months."  
It suddenly dawned on Kuwabara what she had meant.  
"**YYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH**!!!"  
A few hours later, Kuwabara was lying on his bed, trying to get to sleep,  
and therefore forget today. "Today was just a bad dream. Yeah, that's it...nothing but a bad dream."  
Then, a thought drifted into his head that had yet to occur before now.  
A thought which he had shunned, for whatever reason... "Wait...Keiko KNEW about them dating?!"  
Soon enough, though, Kuwabara drifted off to sleep, sure enough, forgetting what happened today. He was blissfully unaware of the hell that would occur for the next nine months...

_Well, that's it for the prologue. Sorry that it's short, but I'll do my best to make the next chapter longer. Until next time, people!_


	2. Chapter 2:The First Grueling Month

Shi's Having a Baby, Chapter 2:The First Grueling Month

A _Yu Yu Hakusho_ fanfic by Dustin Dixon  
  
**Disclaimer**:Once again, I do not own YYH. Once again, if I did,  
something extremely similar to this would have happened in YYH itself. With that said, here comes the first month!  
  
It had been three days since Kuwabara had been informed by his sister that she was expecting a

baby. While he thought he was dreaming then, a new thought was now occupying his mind. A

thought which he voiced.

"I must be in Hell."The morning started out the way the past two had.

Shizuru was at her usual spot by the toilet, puking for all she was worth. Kurama was close to

her, but not right next to her, as she had already threatened to rip his arm off and beat him with it.

And Kuwabara was repeating his thought over and over again while doing his various chores

around the house. How the three of them were going to get through this,

well, that was the furthest thought from Kuwabara's mind as he left for college. Meanwhile,

Kurama had summoned up the guts to proceed toward his significant other.

"Shizuru, perhaps you should try to eat something..."

Her only response toward him was a glare that would have made even Hiei a bit uneasy.

"Right...I'll just...stay over here."

"That's...URK...more like it."

"...Are you absolutely sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to lose your arm?"

"Right. Very well. I guess I'll grab something to eat myself.  
If you need anything, I'll be here for you."

"Alright. Look, I'm sorry about snapping. I just couldn't keep anything in my stomach if I wanted to."

"You don't have to apologize. You've done nothing wrong."

"I think I'm finally through for the morning. You know, Kurama, maybe I will take some eggs."

"Alright then."

So Kurama headed to the kitchen and started fixing breakfast. After a few minutes, Shizuru

walked to the kitchen as well. Meanwhile, at the local college, Kuwabara was still repeating his

only thought for the day,

over and over...and over...and over...as the professor droned on about a complicated equation.

Soon, class let out, and Kuwabara was joined by Yusuke as he headed for the door.

"So, Keiko told me about your sister..."

"Don't say a word about it, Urameshi!"

"...But she didn't say anything about the kid's father."

"I'm warning you!"

"So I was wondering..."

"Don't you dare...!"

"...Who's its dad?!" Yusuke said, giving the traditional Japanese "boyfriend talk"

sign, which earned him a blow to the head from Kuwabara.

"Hey, SHUT UP! The last thing I want to do is think about that kid's father right now!"

"What, did Hiei knock up your sister? I thought he was...uh...you know...with Kurama..."

"HOW CAN HE BE GAY WITH KURAMA WHEN KURAMA'S THE ONE WHO HAD SEX WITH MY SISTER?! THERE, I SAID IT! THE BABY'S FATHER IS KURAMA! HAPPY NOW?!"

"...AH HA HA HA!!! You've gotta be kidding me! KURAMA?! Kurama did your sister?!"

"SHUT UP! It's bad enough KNOWING that! It's even WORSE knowing he's living with us now! I mean, if he gets ticked off, he could transform into his full demon form!"

"Hmm...the Makai's most famous thief as a brother-in-law. Well, it'd be pretty exciting,  
at least. I mean, I wish my family get-togethers would be half as exciting. All I have is my drunk of a mom, and my regular everyday in-laws."

"Well, maybe they'll be more exciting when Keiko has your kid."

"Right...wait. What?!", Yusuke said, his eyes wide.

"Oh, would you look at the time?! Gotta go!", Kuwabara said quickly, before running off,

at top speed, out the front doors and toward his house, leaving Yusuke with one thing to

say...REALLY loudly.

"KEIKO'S **_PREGNANT_**?!"

Kuwabara was wise in getting outta Dodge, so to speak, as Yusuke then found the first

unfortunate moving object, a poor man wearing glasses, and began to pummel relentlessly.

"WHY...DIDN'T...SHE...TELL...ME?!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!", the poor, defenseless man said as

Yusuke assaulted him.

Meanwhile, Kuwabara was on his way home, thinking...audibly.

"Damn it Kurama...why'd you do this?! Things were actually heading for semi-normal before you interfered!"

He reached his house, only to hear various puking noises coming from the bathroom as he

entered. As he entered the kitchen, he saw Kurama there at the table.

"She threaten to rip off your balls?"

"No. Please don't be so brash. She simply asked to be alone."

"And you're just gonna let her sit there by herself?!"

"If that's what she wants."

"Damn..."

"What is it, Kuwabara?"

"Why didn't either of you tell me?!"

"Shizuru told you all of two hours after WE found out!"

"Not that! I mean, why didn't she tell me that she was dating you?!"

"Would you be feeling any better if you had known?"

"Admittedly? No."

"Then what is your problem? I got the impression before that you and I get along pretty well. Is it because I'm dating your only sister?"

"Heh...it feels weird knowing my sister has a man in her life, who I've known longer than she has. To be totally honest, this whole thing has been chapping my ass."

"Why, might I ask? If there's any ill will between us, it won't be good for your sister or the baby. I'd like to solve our differences as quickly as possible, Kuwabara."

"That's just it, Kurama. I don't personally have any beef with you. I just...I don't know. I guess I'm still scared, even after my talk with Keiko. Speaking of which, I feel sorry for her,  
cause Urameshi's gonna be pissed when he gets home."

Meanwhile, across town, Yusuke stormed into his house, where Keiko was sitting on the love

seat, watching the news. She turned, to see his pissed off expression.

"Yusuke, what is it?"

"Why didn't you freakin' tell me you and I were havin' a kid?!"

"How did you...?!"

"Kuwabara slipped after spilling his guts about Kurama knocking up Shizuru, but enough about that! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, you surprised me, alright! I gotta find a part-time job now...gotta keep up with the bills!

This place ain't cheap, you know!", Yusuke rambled on. He stopped, however,

when he noticed that Keiko was crying.

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh God...don't be, Keiko.", Yusuke said, then walked over to her and pulled her into an

embrace. "You've done nothing wrong. I shouldn't have gone flying off the handle like that."

"But...you've already got a hard time with being a Spirit Detective..."

"Hey, I can handle the toddler's missions, no sweat. I just dread finding work here in Ningenkai."

"Well, maybe I can help with that."

"Oh yeah, really?"

"I could talk to Shizuru, and she could talk to Kurama about getting you a job at his stepfather's business."

"I would really appreciate that. In the meantime, though...I might have to work in...",

Yusuke pauses to gulp, then continues, "...a FAST-FOOD restaurant."

"Oh come on, Yusuke! It can't POSSIBLY be as bad as Kido makes it out to be!"

Two weeks later, however, Keiko was eating her words...Yusuke stood at one of the Burger

Barn's cash registers, wearing the ugly brown uniform, an embarrassed look on his face. He was

looking down as the next customer approached.

"Welcome to the Burger Barn. May I take your order?", Yusuke asked, before being assaulted

with riotous, oafish laughter.

"BWA HA HA HA! URAMESHI?! WORKING FAST FOOD?! THIS IS TOO RICH!",

roared the all-too-familiar face in front of him.

"Shut it, Kuwabara, before I shut it for you!"

"URAMESHI!", roared a voice from the back of the restaurant, "QUIT DAWDLIN' AND GIT BACK TA WORK!"

"Yes, Mister...Danny-Frank.", came Yusuke's reply in a groan. The mention of his boss'

name, however, caused more riotous laughter from Kuwabara.

"DANNY-FRANK?! What the hell kinda name is THAT?!", Kuwabara bellowed, in between

fits of laughter.

"He's from the United States, man. Like, Texas, or someplace.", Yusuke said, annoyed by his

colleague's laughter.

"Oh...BWA HA HA HA!"

"Are you going to order or not?! You're going to get me fired...", Yusuke began, then formed a

devious smile and continued, "On second thought, keep at it, man! The harder you laugh, the

faster I'm out of here!"

To be continued, in Chapter 3, "Month 2:Be Careful What You Wish For..."  
  
Now, for the reviewer shout-out...  
  
SatoriSama - Thanks for your advice! I apologize for the horrid layout. Let's hope this chapter looks better, eh?  
  
Crystal Koneko - Glad you liked it! I'm a huge Kurama x Shizuru fan, not to mention a huge Shizuru fan in general. ;-)  
  
Kurama-Haku - I knew all about Kuwabara's not being a Spirit Detective, but thanks for the advice. Rock, rock on!  
  
Black Angel of Destruction - I am feeling quite honored to be reviewed by you. I absolutely ADORE "Unexpected Attraction", so to have the authoress of one of my all-time favorite Kurama x Shizuru stories reply to one of my own stories, well...wow. Hope this is soon enough!  
  
Well, see you all soon with Chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3:Be Careful What You Wish For

Shi's Having a Baby, Chapter 3, Month 2:Be Careful What You Wish For

A _Yu Yu Hakusho_ fanfic by Dustin Dixon  
  
Disclaimer:Do I really have to do this again? Ah well. Once more, I don't own YYH. If I did, yeah, something similar to this would happen. Yep. Anyway, here's the second month!  
  
"Welcome to the Burger Barn, can I take your order?", said an embarrassed Kuwabara to himself, as he was now working alongside Yusuke at the Burger Barn.

"Great job in getting me fired, dumbass!", Yusuke spat.

"Well, how was I supposed to know he liked that kinda behavior?!"

"Remind me to never depend on you for anything, ever again. Hoo boy, Kido was not kidding at all about this place!"

"Kido worked here?!"

"Well, not HERE-here, but the Burger Barn in Mushiyori City."

"Oh. So, uh...when do we get our breaks?"

"NO BREAKS TODAY, UNTIL ONE'A YA GITS THE FLOOR SWEPT!", bellowed the very pissed-off Mister Danny-Frank, from the back.

"I've got this one.", Yusuke said, already holding the mop and bucket in his hands. With a graceless leap, he was over the counter, and minutes later, the floors were spotless.

"Floors are done, Mister Danny-Frank!", Yusuke called out.

"Then go take yer alls thirty!", his boss responded.

And take it they did, as far away from the Burger Barn as they could. They ended up at the park, both wondering about the state their respective families would soon be in, due to the baby boom.

"How did we let this happen to us?"

"Shut up, Urameshi!"

"Screw off, Kuwabara!"

Meanwhile, at the Kuwabara household, Shizuru was struggling to open a pickle jar,  
when Kurama blazed by with a shout of "We're going to be late!"

"Late for...?", the brunette asked.

"Your checkup!", Kurama replied, grabbing two water bottles from the refrigerator,  
before grabbing Shizuru and hurrying her out to his car.

"Did we forget anything?", Kurama asked, after making sure Shizuru was safely buckled up.

"Yes.", Shizuru said, "My pickles, damn it."

"We'll get you new ones at the store, dear."

"I don't want new ones. I want pickles. NOW."

"But we'll be la--"

"NOW!"

"...Fine. I'll go get them. Wait right here."

"Like I have a choice. While you're at it, you might as well stick a ransom note in front of me."

"Do you...want me to do that?"

"..."

"Well?"

"I'm THINKING."

"Look, I'm going to go in and get your pickles. Do you want anything else?"

"Ice cream. One big, heaping plate. Topped with pickles. Oh God...my mouth is watering just thinking about it."

"Pickles and ice cream. Typical food for pregnant women."

"WILL YOU HURRY UP AND GET THE GODDAMN ICE CREAM?!"

"Yes, yes. Right away."

Kurama rushed back inside and scooped out as much ice cream as the paper plate he had set it on could carry. Then he opened the pickle jar and topped the ice cream with pickles. Fighting back the wave of nausea that suddenly hit him upon thinking about the food he was carrying, Kurama rushed the plate back out to the car.

"Here you go, Shizuru.", he said, then stopped as he noticed she was crying.

"I'm so wretched! Here you are, being as nice as you can, and I repay you by being a bitch!"

"Come now, dear, you haven't been THAT bad."

Shizuru's expression suddenly changed, she now looked pissed off.

"Not THAT bad, huh?! What are you saying, that I am a bitch?!"

Kurama's eyes narrowed as he smirked knowingly.

"Someone's having mood swings..."

"Just get in! We're going to be late!"

Kurama then got in the car, and they began the drive toward the hospital, hitting as many red lights as possible, due to some extreme, unlucky force.

"FUCKING RED LIGHTS!", Shizuru shouted at the top of her lungs.

"And here we go. We're only a block away."

"Good, the faster I get unbuckled, the better."

"Here we are.", Kurama said, pulling into the parking lot at the hospital.

"Thank god.", Shizuru exclaimed, "Now can you get me out of this seat belt from Hell?"

"In a moment, dear.", Kurama said as he removed the keys from the ignition. He then pressed the release button, which did exactly that: release the seat belt holding Shizuru down. She immediately jumped up out of the car. The trip to the front desk was a relatively short one,  
as they parked in the closest possible spot to the hospital. They approached the front desk,  
and Kurama rang the bell. One of the receptionists approached them, and greeted the two.

"Hello there, welcome to the Tokyo City Hospital."

"Yes, hello.", said Kurama, "we're here to see Doctor Tanaka."

"And the name of the mother-to-be?", asked the receptionist.

"Kuwabara Shizuru.", Kurama answered.

"You said Dr.Tanaka, right?", asked the receptionist.

"Did he not make it clear enough the first time?!", Shizuru nearly roared.

"Well, he's not in today.", the receptionist said, slightly miffed.

"You could have told us that in the first god damn place!", Shizuru shouted, "You just wasted two minutes of my life! I want them back, and then some!"

"Now now, dear, let's not get angry...", Kurama said, a massive sweatdrop forming on the back of his head.

"Fuck you pricks who work here! If he wasn't supposed to be in today, then why the hell did he set us up for an appointment?!", an enraged Shizuru spouted.

"Lady, I don't know!", the angry receptionist said, "I'm just a receptionist!"

"I should have your ass fired!", Shizuru said angrily.

"On what grounds?!", the receptionist challenged.

"For being a rude, idiot bitch!", Shizuru countered.

"Rude?! Lady, you're the one who started cussing me out!"

Meanwhile, over in the Spirit World, Koenma was busy going through paperwork.

"OGRE! Where the hell is Botan?! I called her over an hour ago!", he shouted.

"Uh...I believe she had to go handle a plane crash.", Jorge the Ogre responded.

"It shouldn't take her over an hour to handle a mere plane crash!"

"Did I say plane crash? I meant plane crashes! Yes, plane crashes!"

"Cut the crap, Ogre. Where is she, really?!"

"Err...she said she'd be gone for the weekend. Something about tracking down an item for someone."

Koenma's reply rang throughout the halls of the great castle.

"WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME?!"

Meanwhile, off at the very location Botan was currently in...

"Okay, so you needed this package found and sent to Yukina...wait, when was it decided that I was a damned postal worker?", shouted Botan angrily at the other person in the dark room, who just so happened to be the Forbidden Child of the koorime, Hiei Jaganshi.

"Since you agreed to helping me out, woman. If you don't like it,  
go back to Spirit World.", Hiei said, nonchalantly.

"Ugh! Hiei, you are just impossible! Fine, I'll do it! What is the package,  
anyway?"

"Your job is retrieving it, not asking questions that are none of your damn business."

"Alright, alright...by the way, did you hear that Shizuru's expecting a baby?"

"Why the HELL would I care about what the oaf's sister is doing?!"

"Possibly because Kurama, your best friend, is the child's father?"

"I don't have friends. I have allies."

"But aren't allies kind of like friends?!"

"Just...shut up and get that package."

"Fine..."

With that, Botan flew off.

"There isn't a day that will go by that you won't wind up regretting this, Kurama..."

Meanwhile, Kurama was driving his expectant girlfriend home.

"Sorry to waste your time like that, dear."

"Not your fault, Kurama. The hospital WILL pay though, mark my words...they WILL pay...heh heh heh..."

As they pulled into the driveway, they noticed Kuwabara sitting on the steps.

"Why is your brother home?"

"He probably got fired."

The two got out and walked up to the downtrodden Kuwabara, who greeted them merely by tilting his head upward.

"Oh...hey you two. How'd the checkup go?", he asked, unexcitedly.

"It didn't.", Kurama responded, "Doctor Tanaka cancelled the appointment at the last second, and didn't call us. He also left early."

"Stupid son of a...", Shizuru muttered.

"Anyway, Kuwabara, why are you so downtrodden?", Kurama inquired.

"Yeah, did you get fired?", Shizuru asked, nonchalantly.

"No, worse.", Kuwabara said, on the verge of tears, "I got PROMOTED."

"How is THAT bad?", Kurama wondered out loud.

"Trust me, Kurama, this job is the absolute WORST. To top it off, I have no one to talk to now.  
Urameshi was fired for missing a spot when he mopped the floor before we took our thirties."

"He and Keiko need some money coming in, since they have less time then we do to prepare.",  
Kurama said, a concerned look on his face.

"Well, he said something about Keiko asking you guys to get him on at your stepdad's building,  
Kurama.", Kuwabara said.

"Hmm...why don't you call him up and tell him to come by in about two weeks? I think I may be able to put him back to work.", Kurama responded, a smile appearing on his face.

To be continued, in Chapter 4, "Month 3:Big Blunder"  
  
Reviewer shout-out time!  
  
SatoriSama - I'm glad to hear it's doing better. I think I may have went a little overboard with the spacing, but ah well. As long as it's easy to read, that's what counts.  
  
Jessica - Thanks, hope this chapter's good as well!  
  
Kurama-Haku - Thanks, glad you like the story! Hope you like the insertion of Koenma, Jorge, Botan, and Hiei, in this chapter. )  
Also, hope homecoming was nice. As for Danny-Frank, I actually got the name from a George Carlin comedy clip about people who need to die. :p  
  
Black Angel of Destruction - Don't worry about missing the update. What's important is that everyone who reviewed my first chapter has come back to review my second. I feel loved. :p  
  
Crystal Koneko - Thanks, yeah, it's mean of them to make fun of ole' Danny-Frank, but I could totally imagine the scenario I wrote out for that scene, so I went along with it. :p  
  
Hope to see you all back here for Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4: Month 3, Part 1: Big Blunder

Shi's Having a Baby, Month 3: Big Blunder

A Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic by Dustin M. Dixon

Ha-ha, oh wow. It's been almost six and a half YEARS since the last update. Bet you all thought I'd given up on this. ;) Truth is, I moved, started and FINISHED community college, and started working on DR something like five or six years ago. Anyway, I am back once again. Let's see if I've still got it after six and a half years, eh?

* * *

Kuwabara practically skipped the whole way home, having finally been interviewed and set up to come and work for Kurama's stepfather. Knowing that he could finally tell that stingy bastard Danny-Frank where to shove his work uniform made Kuwabara as giddy as a schoolgirl. As he got home, he picked Eikichi off of the doorstep and cuddled him happily. As he did this, Kurama walked up from watering the flowers perched on the windowsill. "I assume things with my stepfather went well?"

"I start on Monday!" Kuwabara practically cheered, grinning from ear to ear. In the time that had transpired, Kuwabara managed to get interviewed by Kurama's stepfather and get hired, ensuring that he'd be working once again with Yusuke.

"That is great news, Kuwabara." Kurama said, smiling, genuinely happy for his friend. "My stepfather is a much nicer man than the one you work for now."

"Stupid douchebag." Kuwabara grumbled, sour memories coming up of Mister Danny-Frank. Kuwabara couldn't wait to tell off that cheap ass, especially in light of him firing Yusuke for missing a spot on his "beautiful floor". Suddenly, an idea came to mind. He set Eikichi down, the cat replying with a meow reflecting its sadness over no longer being the center of his owner's attention. He opened the door and hollered in.

"HEY SIS! YOU NEED KURAMA FOR THE NEXT TWENTY MINUTES?"

"I'm right here, doofus." Shizuru replied, her left pinky angrily inserted into her left ear canal to indicate her annoyance at her brother's booming scream. In her other hand, she held a lit cigarette, taking a drag as she glanced at Kuwabara, annoyance on her face.

"Uh...sorry..." Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Why do you need my boyfriend again?"

"I have an AWESOME idea." Kuwabara grinned wickedly.

"...I'm not even gonna ask." she sighed. "Pick up some milk while you two are out."

"Yeah, okay." Kuwabara shrugged, turning to Kurama.

"Don't...don't I get a say in this...?" Kurama closed his eyes, looking deep in thought.

"No time for that! Get your car!" Kuwabara swept back at open air with his right hand, indicating for Kurama to follow him.

"What's wrong with yours?" Kurama asked, a sweat drop forming on the back of his head.

"Nothing...YET." Kuwabara climbed into his car and backed out quickly, switching gears and speeding off toward the place he had in mind... Kurama turned back to Shizuru, who shrugged and pointed in the same direction Kuwabara had gone. Kurama himself gave a shrug before walking over to his car and driving off to find where Kuwabara had taken off to. As she stood there in the doorway, Shizuru silently took a few more drags from her cigarette, before uttering one syllable.

"...Huh." she glanced down at her feet to see Eikichi rubbing up against her, purring contentedly. She glanced around as if she were mortified that someone might be watching, before smiling gently down at the cat and letting him come in as she closed the door...

"Damn cat..."

* * *

"Oh! Hello Botan!" Yukina greeted warmly as the Grim Reaper herself flew down and stepped off of her oar.

"WHAT?" Botan shouted.

"I said hello!" Yukina repeated.

"SPEAK UP!" Botan shouted, even louder than the first time she spoke up.

"Is everything okay, Botan?" Yukina looked concerned.

"DIDN'T CATCH A WORD OF THAT, YUKINA! I TOLD YOU, **SPEAK UP ALREADY!**" Botan repeated once more, causing Yukina to back away somewhat meekly. Botan shrugged and handed a large package to the koorime. "IT'S FROM HIEI!"

"From Hiei...?" Yukina looked a bit confused.

"**WHAT?**" Botan shouted, before a look of relief came over her face as sound started returning to her ears. "Ah..." her voice finally returned to its normal volume. "Sorry...I had to rush here ASAP. We've been REALLY backed up in Reikai for the past month. I've had that since May."

"So...why couldn't you hear me greeting you in return?" Yukina's confused look remained on her face as she eyed Botan, and then went back to eying the package.

"Oh...that. I broke the sound barrier on the way here. Damn mach 1 oars..." Botan grumbled. "Anyway...how have you been?"

"Oh...I've been alright. It's been lonely here since...you know..." Yukina trailed off, looking back at Genkai's forest compound...well, now collectively the Reikai Tantei's forest compound, since the passing of Genkai two years prior...

"Yeah...Genkai was something else...you haven't really left this place since then, have you?" Botan had a concerned look on her face as she glanced at Yukina.

"No...But it's okay. Kazuma comes here to visit me every so often." Yukina smiled warmly.

"You shouldn't be up here by yourself, though..." Botan sighed. "You know, I bet Kuwabara would like it if YOU went to see HIM for once. I heard through the grapevine that he's started a new job with Kurama's stepfather and Yusuke."

"You're right. I think I will go visit Kazuma!" Yukina said, her smile widening a bit, then faltering completely as she opened the package, her eyes widening in horror as she picked up the object that was in the box... as she held up the Hiruseki stones that had been made into pendants many years ago by her mother, Botan's eyes widened enormously too. One stone had been stained with blood. Attached to it was a note from Hiei. Yukina shakily grabbed hold of the note, unrolling the paper and starting to read it. "Oh...oh no..." she gasped out, tears forming in her eyes. As they finished forming, they dropped from her eyes in the form of Hiruseki stones.

"What does it say?" Botan asked. Yukina wordlessly handed over the note. Botan glanced at it, her eyes widening.

"Yukina,

I send you this stone with a regretful admission. Earlier today, I met a demon who wore this stone around his neck. Without a single word, he assaulted me, and I had no choice but to defend myself. I struck down this fire youkai without a second thought. It was only after the attack that I realized what I'd done...my sympathies. I return your brother's stone to you, with an apology. Your brother is dead. Whether or not he was the one I killed remains a mystery, but that doesn't forgive what I've done. I doubt we will ever meet again.

-Hiei...

...What the...?" Botan's eyes continued to widen for a second, before narrowing in anger. Well...anger was a gross understatement. Botan was enraged. "That little BASTARD!" She climbed back onto her oar and prepared to fly off, before Yukina reached out and grabbed Botan by the left sleeve of her kimono.

"Wait!" she called, and as Botan turned to meet her glance, she spoke up again, tears in her eyes. "I need to...I need to see Kazuma...can you take me to him?"

"Of course." Botan smiled. "Hop on!"

"Okay..." Yukina climbed onto the oar unsteadily, and seconds later, the two women were on a Mach 1 course to Mushiyori City.

* * *

"Good..." Kuwabara snickered, as Kurama had caught up to him. He now sat in the parking lot of the Burger Barn, his car parked in the spot directly away from the double-door entrance. Kurama motioned for his friend to lower his window. As Kuwabara complied, Kurama asked "Why are we here, Kuwabara? I thought this was your day off!"

"Heh heh heh..."

"...You're not!" Kurama looked stunned, but before he could say or do anything more, Kuwabara had already shifted to reverse, flooring the gas pedal and taking off backward at top speed.

"WOOHOO!" Kuwabara shouted in glee as innocent bystanders scrambled out of his way, then proceeded to scramble out the entrance he had driven into. Time seemed to slow down as he glanced at his now-former boss and put his thumbs to his temples, wiggling his hands back and forth as he stuck out his tongue at the stingy owner of the Burger Barn...and then it happened. While doing his motion, Kuwabara had unintentionally shifted the steering wheel slightly, causing his car to gravitate slightly to the right. He plowed through a wall, covering his car with debris and weighing it down. Kuwabara shifted into park, jarred by the collision, as he stepped slowly out of the car. He glanced around the empty lobby...well, empty except for Danny-Frank, a flabbergasted Kurama, and two cops who had been there to grab some lunch. The latter of the four people walked over, one of them training their gun on Kuwabara.

"Stay right where you are, son." the gun-pointing officer addressed Kuwabara menacingly.

"Yeah...my bad." Kuwabara sighed, turning around and putting his hands behind his back, as the other officer proceeded to restrain him with handcuffs. The first officer finally lowered his gun. Kurama took this opportunity to speak up.

"Excuse me, officer, can I speak with him for a moment?" Kurama asked, and the officer slowly motioned to Kuwabara, who Kurama walked to with an angry, determined look on his face. "Why the HELL did you do that, Kuwabara?"

Kuwabara remained silent for a second, looked over at Danny-Frank, and said "He's an ass."

"So? Pee in his mailbox! Don't endanger the lives of innocent people!" Kurama yelled.

"..." Kuwabara looked away, he especially couldn't bring himself to look up as Shizuru angrily entered the room.

"What the HELL is this?"

"Oh shit..." Kuwabara groaned, knowing that this was going to be one hell of an explanation for his sister to sit through...

* * *

HAHA! Finished with the next chapter...or am I? Tune in soon for Month 3 Part 2: Sideway Stories from Wayside Mushiyori! And now to address those of you who have reviewed this in my six and a half year absence!

Shattered Avenger - Thanks muches! Yeah, K&S is my favorite YYH pairing too. I even put them together in their brief cameo appearances in my mega-crossover fic "PokeWing Z: Dimension Rifters"! Check it out if you want. I'm getting ready to upload the last episodes for the fic's second "season" in the next few days.

Black Angel of Destruction - Thanks! Yeah, I figured Shizuru was mostly mellow based on her anime personality, but I also assumed she had a bit of a short fuse for certain things, like her brother being an idiot or that receptionist being an annoying cunt. As you'll see in later chapters, she has a bit of a temper even toward Kurama aside from demanding pickles from him.

Crystal Koneko - If you read this chapter, you'll know. ;) Thanks for the kind words! :D

punnamechibi - I'm glad I lifted you out of your funk back then. Hopefully you're still around to read all the fic's future installments. I'm nowhere NEAR giving up on this or any other fic of mine.

poco - Thanks! I only hope the later chapters are accurate with a woman's pregnancy. When I wrote the first three chapters, I borrowed my mom's copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (She had my brother shortly before I started writing this), but I no longer had it for this chapter.

S.G. -Well, all I have to say is that it's MY story. I'll wrIte whoever the hell I want to write together. If you don't like it, stay the hell away from it.

DemoNecromancer - I absolutely HATE pickles, to be honest. I was just doing a stereotype there (pregnant women craving very strange foods). My "beef" is poorly-written fanfiction. I may not have fantastic fics in my repertoire, but at least I have a grasp of the English language.

PAEC - Six and a half years late, but here's that update. Read it when you get here, McSanchez.

mayumayu003 - Thanks for the LMAO of endorsement! Hope you LMAO at this one as well. ;)

Hizumi the Ninja - Haha, thanks dude. That means a lot. I'm sorry I haven't kept up with your fics as of recently. D:

kyugan and othchick11 - Sorry it's late, but after six and a half years, it's time for an update! Hope you like! :D


	5. Sideway Stories from Wayside Mushiyori

Shi's Having a Baby, Chapter 5: Month 3, Part 2: Sideways Stories from Wayside Mushiyori

A Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic by Dustin M. Dixon

* * *

Hello there! I own nothing from Yu Yu Hakusho. The only character I can even claim as mine in this fic is Mister Danny-Frank, although I can't really claim credit since I got the idea for his name from an old George Carlin sketch (RIP George, comedy just isn't as good with you dead now. ). No money is being made off of this (if someone DID pay me to do this, well, I would question their sanity), upfront OR covertly. That being said, let's get on with the second half of Month 3!

* * *

"Name?" one of the two policemen present asked, as Kuwabara posed for his inevitable mug shot.

"Kazuma Kuwabara." He responded, staring forward intently.

"Son, why did you ram your car into the Burger Barn?" the second officer asked.

"Have you worked there?" Kuwabara asked flatly. "Like, seriously, this should not even be a question."

"Well, since nobody was hurt, I assume your sentence won't be that harsh. You might not even get a full year." The second officer informed the young redheaded man.

"Gee, is that all?" He remarked sarcastically. Just then, Danny-Frank himself came through the door.

"Now now officers, I'm sure he didn't mean it. I say we let bygones be bygones."

"He admitted to ramming into your restaurant of his own free will."

"Well, why don't we just drop it this once?" he said, and though he smiled politely, Kuwabara knew he had to have been intimidated by Kurama into dropping the charges.

"…Are you sure? This guy could try something like this again." The first officer voiced his concerns.

"Sorta doubt it." Kuwabara said.

"Exactly. It was a one-time misunderstandin'." Danny-Frank encouraged the officers.

"Well, if he's not going to press charges, I guess you're free to go…" the second officer shrugged.

"Uh… thanks." Kuwabara returned the shrug, and as he and his former boss left, he immediately turned to him. "Okay… Shuichi threatened you, right?"

"Who?" Danny-Frank asked, sounding sincere in his ignorance. "It was some girl. REAL crazy. Scarier than ANY demon."

"My sister." Kuwabara laughed. "Uh… if there's a next time, I'll just throw my uniform on the floor instead. How's that?"

"Fine, fine! Jes' git outta here!" Danny-Frank looked frightened, seeing Shizuru glaring at him from across the restaurant. Kuwabara sheepishly walked over toward his older sister.

"You have five seconds to come up with an explanation that'll make me not want to SHOVE MY FOOT ALL THE WAY UP YOUR ASS." She crossed her arms angrily.

"The devil made me do it?" Kuwabara shrugged.

"You're lucky that asshole folded so easily. If this'd gone on your record, I doubt you'd be starting work for Kurama's stepdad on Monday. You're smarter than this, Kazuma!"

"I hate that smug prick." Kuwabara shrugged. "I guess in my mind, hate trumps intellect."

"I can't always be here to bail you out, you know."

"Yeah, I know… especially when you have this kid."

"I meant maybe one day you might… you know, move out." Shizuru clarified what she was saying. Kuwabara, taking the subtle hint, spoke up again after a few minutes.

"So… you want me to move out?"

"Not immediately, but I think it'd be good for you to get your own place so you didn't hear certain… things going on."

"Don't remind me." Kuwabara lightly slapped his forehead with his right hand. "I can never un-hear what has been heard."

"Sorry." She said simply.

"Was this your idea? Or Kurama's?" Kuwabara suddenly spoke up.

"It was mine. Kurama doesn't know about it yet." Shizuru explained, glancing up at the sky and noticing that a certain blue-haired Grim Reaper was heading toward them at Mach 1. "Left. Left, left, LEFT." She called out, repeating her word after seeing that Kuwabara wasn't moving. Eventually he got the message, leaping out of the way as Botan skidded to a stop just shy of where he had been standing. As she stopped, Yukina quickly dismounted the broom and threw her arms around Kuwabara, sobbing.

"Y… Yukina…" he said, not making a complete ass out of himself around her as usual, instead returning her sorrowful hug.

"What's going on?" Shizuru asked, her eyes slightly widened in concern for the young Koorime as she continued to sob, unable to form words just yet. Shizuru then turned her head to Botan. "What's wrong with her?"

"Hiei." Botan said, a snarl on her face. "He said he 'killed' her brother, sending her a package with her brother's hiruseki stone."

"That son of a…" Shizuru looked angry, though between the four standing there, only she and Botan knew the real reason why…

"Oh god, I'm so sorry…" Kuwabara tightened his hug.

"Does anybody know where he is?" came the voice of Kurama as he joined the four. He had a puzzling expression on his face. Kuwabara couldn't tell what the ancient demon was thinking.

"The last time I saw him, he was still with Mukuro…" Botan commented.

"Good. This won't take long, then." Kurama sounded somewhat… angry? Kuwabara had hardly ever heard Kurama speak in a tone that conveyed any sort of clear emotion. Kurama was always the strategist, speaking in tones that reflected his immense wisdom. His voice reflected little, if any, of that. "I'm sorry dear, I'll be back soon."

"Why don't I come with you? I'd like to give Hiei a piece of my mind as well." Shizuru frowned.

"This is something I should really do alone. I know Makai well. I'll be back in a couple of days." Kurama said, giving his girlfriend a hug as he ran off, leaving Kuwabara looking confused, still holding Yukina in his arms.

"Yukina, do you want to stay with us for a bit?" Shizuru offered with a smile. Yukina sniffled, drying her eyes, and nodded.

"Thank you, Shizuru."

"Yeah! I can take the couch!" Kuwabara offered enthusiastically.

"And I'll take Kazuma's room. No guest should be forced to suffer through that hellhole."

"Hey! My room's perfectly fine! It's not messy or anything!"

"Yeah, but those stuffed kitten toys creep me right the hell out. You really think Yukina would like to sleep with all of those soulless eyes watching her?" Shizuru gave Kuwabara 'The Look', causing him to tense up.

"This is all very nice, but I need to get back to the Spirit World. If Hiei does show his face, tell him I said 'go to hell'!" Botan griped, getting back on her oar and flying off, leaving the three of them there.

"She should've stayed and had a cup of coffee at least." Shizuru shrugged. "Ready to go?"

* * *

Kuwabara had begun to adjust to life on the couch over the next two weeks, occasionally returning to the sanctity of his room in an attempt to bond further with Yukina. He'd also begun to get the hang of his new construction job, being in charge of holding onto the blueprints and making adjustments, since Kurama's stepfather trusted his judgement –being unaware of Kuwabara's transgression against his former workplace-. As he stood there, looking over the blueprints, he took note of Kurama walking up to him.

"Hello Kuwabara. I see things are going well."

"Hey yourself, dude. Did you just get back?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yes. I saw Hiei, and I said what needed to be said."

"There's something I gotta ask ya." Kuwabara sounded extremely serious as he looked his friend in the eye. "I've been getting the feeling that you, Shizuru, Botan… hell, even Urameshi, have been hiding something from me. Something about Hiei."

"You're right." Yusuke's voice rang out as he walked up behind him. "It is somethin' about Hiei. And about Yukina. Something you would've known if you hadn't charged out of your room like a dumbass."

"Yusuke…" Kurama trailed off, his normally stoic eyes widening, and time seemed to stop completely for Kuwabara as Yusuke revealed the tidbit of information that Kuwabara had been unaware of for years…

"…He didn't kill her brother. He IS her brother."

"…" Kuwabara remained silent, and neither Yusuke nor Kurama could read his mind. "…What?"

"I said he IS her br—"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU GODDAMN SAID." Kuwabara said, punching a sturdy steel girder next to him in a rage. "And you couldn't have said ANYTHING about it the FIVE YEARS you've known?"

"Kuwabara…" Kurama glanced at his enraged friend, who immediately turned on him.

"And YOU! Have you even tried to get Hiei to come clean to Yukina?"

"For over five years. Hiei doesn't want to tell her. To him, this is easier."

"Then HE doesn't have to tell her." Kuwabara growled, walking toward his car.

"Wait, Kuwabara. You really shouldn't get involved." Kurama advised. "Hiei won't take kindly if he knows you told Yukina of her brother's identity."

"Well, Hiei can go screw himself." Kuwabara said, a snarl adorning his face as he continued toward his car.

"Kuwab—" Yusuke started but was cut off by a punch from the very person he was trying to speak to, sending him sprawling to the ground. Kuwabara immediately turned to Kurama, holding up his fist.

"What about you? YOU WANT SOME TOO?"

"Don't do this, Kuwabara." Kurama warned, unflinching. "I know you're upset, but turning on the people who've been trying to protect you is an extremely unwise course of action." Kurama paused for a second. "Well… I was trying to protect you.

"Protect me? From what? Hiei? I'll kick that shrimp's ass into next week!"

"He'd eat you with his dragon and you know it." Yusuke grumbled, getting to his feet after wiping blood from his mouth. "Look, Kuwabara, I didn't say anything before cause I figured it was best you didn't know… but Keiko told me what Hiei had sent Yukina, and… I'm pissed too, man. I'm sorry."

"…" Kuwabara sat down, after a few minutes of remaining silent, perhaps pondering what Yusuke had just said. "I can't believe it… things were starting to look up again. I like this job. But after hearing about that scumbag Hiei, the only thing I can think about is beating him up until he tells Yukina the truth."

"Hey, I'm with you, man." Yusuke pointed out. "I want a piece of that jerk too."

"This is not good…" Kurama mused. "But, I can't have my girlfriend's younger brother going to face Hiei with just ONE comrade, now can I?"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Yusuke commented sarcastically.

"Kurama…" Kuwabara gasped out a bit, surprised that Kurama offered his help to Kuwabara's plan to beat the hell out of Hiei.

"Of course, we'll need to let everyone know we're headed to the Makai." Kurama added. "We can't have our significant others worry about us vanishing for several weeks."

"Yeah, I suppose. I gotta ask Kazuya for a few days off too." Kuwabara shrugged. "Man, I hope he gives it to me."

"My stepfather is one of the kindest people I know. I'm sure he'll grant your request." Kurama turned around, ready to go tell Shizuru of his impending departure, and Yusuke began to walk to his car to inform Keiko, but remembered something important. "Oh yeah! Kuwabara, Kazuya needed you to sign off on this building." He handed the blueprints over to Kuwabara, and without thinking, the oafish redhead signed off… sideways.

* * *

Sixty-seven years into the future, a young boy and his mother were walking by a strange building: a skyscraper that, instead of racing up into the sky, had been built on its side.

"Mommy?" The boy asked. "What's that building?"

"That's the Kazuma Kuwabara Building for Proper Education, dear." The mother answered, keeping up her stride, and as the two walked away, an old man walked up and stared at the building for a second before mumbling something to himself…

"God **damn it**, Kuwabara."

* * *

Author's Note: Hey y'all, Dustin here with another finished SHaB chapter. Hopefully you find the joke at the end funny. Time to acknowledge my fans once more!

thefanficwriter/mayumayu003 – Haha, glad you weren't disappointed. Sorry for taking so damn long to get both that chapter and this one uploaded. I have every intention of finishing Shi's Having a Baby, I just have this extreme obsession with writing my other fanfic as well, which I seriously need to update. There are 26 new episodes for that one that I've been meaning to put up on FFN for a LONG-ASS while now. Anyway, glad you like!

And that wraps it up for this chapter. Stay tuned for Chapter 6: Month 4, part 1: Kazuma Kuwabara's Day Off!


	6. Month 4-1: Kazuma Kuwabara's Day Off!

Shi's Having a Baby, Chapter 6: Month 4, Part 1: Kazuma Kuwabara's Day Off!

A Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic by Dustin M. Dixon

You know the drill by now. Yu Yu Hakusho and all characters thereof are the intellectual property of Yoshihiro Togashi. With that said, on with Chapter 6!

* * *

It was a bright, and yet not quite SUNNY day in Makai as Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama literally hit the ground running. Well, running in Yusuke and Kurama's case. Kuwabara stood there for a second as he watched the other two break into a dash. They stopped as he spoke up.

"Hey, why're ya running?" Just then, an energy blast whizzed barely by his head. Yusuke quickly dispatched the offending demon with a wordless Spirit Shotgun.

"That, maybe?" he spoke up flatly.

"Good reason. You encounter this the first time you got here, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked as he broke into a mad dash as well.

"Not really. I had Hokushin with me." Yusuke explained. "I thought Makai had a new policy on humans!"

"They still do!" Kurama explained. "Just not the same policy that was incorporated by Enki!"

"So who took his place?" Yusuke asked.

"His wife. There's still the 'no mischief in Ningenkai' policy, but since most demons feast upon human flesh to survive, she allowed the hunting of humans who enter Makai either willingly as Kuwabara has or those who stumbled upon it by mere chance."

"Cut the small talk! Where the hell's Shorty?!" Kuwabara shouted.

"He's probably still in Mukuro's old domain…" Kurama said. "The journey will take us about a week and a half on foot."

"So why don't we borrow some sort of transportation from Yomi?" Yusuke suggested. "He may not rule Gandara anymore, but I assume he still has some way for us to get around Makai quickly!"

"No one knows where Yomi went." Kurama paused. "He was disappointed that you didn't take part in the last tournament."

"I can't help it that the preliminaries fell on the same day as my freakin' wedding!" Yusuke griped. "Can't YOU find him?"

"If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be." Kurama smirked. "In the meantime, I suggest we move faster so the A-class demons around here don't start to gain any sort of lead on us."

"Why are you worried about that? We're upper-S class! Those guys won't stand a chance."

"Yes, but what about Kuwabara?" Kurama pointed out.

"Oh… right." A large sweat drop formed on the side of Yusuke's head as he continued to run.

"HEY! I'll take on any A AND S-class punks that get in my way!" Kuwabara shouted after the two.

* * *

"Dammit!" Shizuru shouted angrily as Yukina sat at the table. "He can make sure I make it to that horrible waiting room on time, but would it kill Kurama to buy an emergency supply of ice cream?!"

"Emergency supply?" Yukina was confused. She tilted her head, just barely avoiding a bag of frozen peas traveling at escape velocity.

"Hey, I'm pregnant. I NEED ice cream. That's my thing…" Shizuru explained, rubbing her baby bump. "I'm eating for two… the little one needs its sweets too!" She then tilted her head as well, but only for the purpose of joking around as she stared down Yukina. "You should enter the next Makai Tournament…" she trailed off, throwing another bag of frozen vegetables, which Yukina caught. "FUCKING HEALTHY FOOD!"

"So do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" Yukina interrupted her friend's train of thought in order to preserve the sanctity of her kitchen.

"Not yet. I'll find out in two weeks, hopefully." Shizuru smiled. "Kurama seems to think it'll be a boy, but I'm thinking girl." She sat at the chair across from Yukina and pulled out a cigarette.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Yukina asked.

"That's what the ice cream's for." Shizuru sighed, as her eyes narrowed, glancing down at her stomach. "I'm going to kick Daddy's ass when he gets back."

"I really don't think you should—" Yukina cut herself off as she saw Shizuru's comically-angry squint from across the table. "Fine, fine… just one, though. You can pick that back up after you have the baby."

"Whaaaaatever…" the brunette woman sighed again, pulling out a lighter and, after making sure its purpose had been served, taking a drag from her cigarette. "So… I couldn't help but overhear some things last night when walking by my room."

"Oh… you heard that." Yukina mumbled, blushing slightly. "I… I didn't know how to feel at first. I thought Kazuma just loved me as a friend, but…" she trailed off, thinking back to the night before…

* * *

"Come in." Yukina bade, upon hearing the knock at the bedroom door. As the door opened, Kuwabara had stood there, a serious expression on his face as he stared down Yukina. "Kazuma?"

"Hey, we're going to leave a little early, so I'm gonna get ready for bed. I just wanted to talk to you before I left." He glanced down, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't think Hiei killed your brother. I'm gonna go 'talk' to him. I think maybe your brother doesn't want you to know where he is… some crap about being too evil or something like that."

"But I don't care about that!" Yukina protested. "…And why did you wiggle your fingers when you said talk?"

"I know. And… well, Hiei's version of talking is beating the hell out of someone unless he really has something relevant to say. So by 'talk', I actually mean 'fight back'."

"Don't do that, please…" Yukina gazed into Kuwabara's eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt, Kazuma!"

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself… but I am gonna slap some sense into Shorty."

"Why would you do that?" Yukina asked.

"…Because I love you, Yukina." Kuwabara said solemnly. No goofy antics, no obsessive fawning… just Kuwabara's straight honesty rang true in Yukina's ear. "I know you probably think of me as nothing more than a friend, and that's fine… but I've always loved you. I just wanted to tell you before we left for Makai." Yukina stood there, a blush creeping up on her face as Kuwabara turned to leave. "Well… I'll let you get some sleep. Good night, Yukina…"

"Kazuma, wait!" Yukina grabbed his right arm. As he turned around, Yukina did the most daring thing in her life, short of defying her fellow Koorime tribeswomen and venturing into Ningenkai… she met her lips with Kuwabara's… several seconds passed as a wide-eyed Kuwabara returned the kiss. The two young people wrapped their arms around each other, perfectly content with where they were… As the kiss broke, Kuwabara grinned widely.

"Wow… are you… sure?" Kuwabara asked.

"I am." Yukina smiled warmly, placing her hand on Kuwabara's chest. "I don't want you to go, but… I know you feel you have to. Be safe, Kazuma…" she kissed him quickly again.

* * *

"So…" Shizuru spoke up as Yukina snapped back to reality. "How's it feel not being a virgin anymore?" she finished with a lopsided grin.

"Wh… what? No! Kazuma and I didn't… you know…" Yukina explained, her blush deepening.

"Well, I suppose you can do worse than my kid brother." Shizuru joked.

'Kazuma…' Yukina thought, her own train of thought derailing as she let her mind wander to the tall redheaded man…

* * *

"Seriously?! You and Yukina KISSED?!" Yusuke looked stunned.

"Yup! I've got myself a girlfriend! And I didn't have to go through a tournament to realize what she meant to me!" Kuwabara bragged.

"Good, cause people were starting to talk…" Yusuke joked.

"Oh shut it, Urameshi!" Kuwabara fumed, turning to the more sensible member of their three-man team. "Hey Kurama! How much farther?! We've already been running a week!"

"About three days' time if we take a shortcut through this forest." Kurama pointed out, the heavily-wooded area he mentioned quickly coming into their line of sight. As they entered, the three felt a sense of dread, which was heightened by what happened next.

"Actually…" a voice sounded out from somewhere among the treetops. "Your journey's over."

"Hiei…" Kurama spoke up first.

"ALRIGHT SHRIMP, GET THE HELL DOWN HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS FOR LYING TO YUKINA FOR ALL THIS TIME!" Kuwabara bellowed.

"Not that I needed another reason to kill you, oaf, but…" Hiei jumped down from a tree about twenty feet away, the Darkness Flame burning in his outstretched right hand as he grinned evilly toward Kuwabara. "This one gets moved to the top of my list." A pause. "Well, right under you kissing Yukina, anyway."

'He must have read our thoughts… all the way from Mukuro's domain?!' Kurama's eyes widened.

"In order." Hiei's grin turned into a simple smirk. "Yes, I did. And to your follow-up thought, yes, I HAVE become that much stronger. So… which one of you told the idiot I'm Yukina's brother?"

"…" Yusuke started to step forward, but Kuwabara interrupted him.

"I figured it out. I went back and watched Koenma's old tape." He lied. "And Yukina likes me. What are you going to do about it, Shorty?"

"I think the answer to that is pretty simple, isn't it?" Hiei grinned once more, pointing his outstretched hand toward Kuwabara…

* * *

Author's Note: Here we are at the end of Chapter 6! Let's get to those responses!

Hakudoshi-9 – Thanks! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Check in soon (for real-real, not for play-play) for Chapter 7: Month 4, Part 2: Kazuma, the Hunter from the… Time Period That Comes After the Present!


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